A deputy was struck and a firefighter killed Thursday after a high-speed chase ended in a fatal wreck on U.S. 25 in northern Greenville County, authorities said.

North Greenville firefighter Jordan Howard, 30, of Marietta, was headed to work on his motorcycle when he was hit by a Ford pickup going in the wrong direction at about 7:30 a.m., Deputy Coroner Kent Dill said.

The Highway Patrol has identified the driver of the pickup as John William Kennedy, 25, of Greer.

Sheriff Steve Loftis said the deputy who was hit initially was investigating a report of a stolen truck at TD's Express Mart on West Blue Ridge Drive early Thursday morning.

When the deputy arrived, he found two trucks parked end to end. A suspect in one of the trucks immediately began driving toward the deputy, who was pinned against a concrete wall with nowhere to go, Loftis said.

Loftis said the deputy pulled out his gun and fired at the suspect. One bullet shattered the windshield, but the truck kept going, hitting the deputy in the lower body.

He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Loftis said.

The truck, a black Ford F-150, sped away from the scene.

Deputies pursued the truck in what Loftis described as a "wild, high-speed chase" that covered roughly 15 miles in six to eight minutes. Here's how authorities said the chase unfolded:

After losing sight of the truck, deputies picked up the trail on Poinsett Highway at Goldsmith Street.

At least two patrol cars were involved in the pursuit down Poinsett Highway, through an intersection on Old Buncombe Road and onto U.S. 25 through Travelers Rest.

The chase was called off near the State 414 intersection after the truck went into the southbound lanes and into oncoming traffic.

The truck continued speeding in the wrong direction for about three-quarters of a mile before crashing head-on into a 2005 Yamaha motorcycle.

The driver of the truck fled from the crash site on foot and into nearby woods.

He was apprehended a short distance away, at approximately 7:28 a.m.

Loftis said the investigation is still in the early stages and that it wasn't clear why the driver fled.

"All he had to do was pull over," Loftis said. "Apparently he had no worry or concerns for harming anybody else."